DRW50

There's always a temptation to make funny characters serious, and while she weathered the transition better than some, I do think it became something of a drag. The decision to make Cass so serious didn't help. The real turn was Wallingford's death, although it may be for the best, as I imagine JFP having him trampled to death for shock value. It's sort of like a screwball comedy queen of the '30s becoming a weeping tragedienne of the '40s. Linda Dano was expert at the tears and the pain but there was no balance. They sort of tried this again at the end with Sergei but what I think she needed was just a fun group to bounce off of, and a young, vibrant, funny female character. Every young woman in Felicia's life was so serious. I think the only one who was goofy was Remy, who worked for her very briefly. John/Felicia never would have happened. It was so OOC for both, especially Felicia. That was just JFP using Felicia to live out her own personal fantasies.

I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. I wish her tenure had worked out a little better. I put a Jack Stauffer interivew in the Somerset thread.

The mid/late 80's were her peak as a character...I did love her scenes with Lorna (Alicia's Lorna) but the very very serious stories they gave Felicia are just so sad to watch, a little too sad. By the late 90's I think the character was sort of gone and we were just watching Linda.

Is it true that the first year of marriage is the hardest? "Maybe for some couples," said Jack. "But Renne and I knew each other for such a long time before we got married that we didn't go through the usual traumatic adjustment period." How long exactly is "such a long time?" "We went together on and off for about three years," said Renne. "We got engaged shortly after we met, but she called the whole thing off when she went to California and signed for the nighttime TV series Nancy," said Jack. "The series only lasted 16 weeks but I liked California so much I wanted to stay on there and work," added Renne. What changed her mind? "I came back to New York for a visit and ran into Jack at my mother's office. She's a theatrical agent and handles the two of us." "Luckily, I didn't drop Renne's mother when Renne dropped me, or we might never have gotten together again." Is Renne glad she came back to New York? "Of course!" exclaimed the pretty actress, batting her long eyelashes at her husband. "But I'm still partial to life in California, and when our contracts are up on our respective soaps, we plan to settle there." And work there? "And work there - and raise our children there," said Jack. Children? Is Renne expecting? "Not yet," said Jack. "But it could be any time now...Well, almost any time. There is only one stipulation. She can't get pregnant during the skiing season." "He's an absolute nut about sports," Renne explained. "I discovered sports at an early age," said Jack. "Sports - and girls. I wasn't the best student in school but I did excel at swimming, tennis, baseball, football. I almost wrecked my ankles playing soccer." "Now he's trying to finish the job with skiing," said Renne. "Actually, it's easier to ski with bad ankles - than it is to walk," said Jack. "It's a question of balance." "Last winter we went to the Austrian Alps for a week of skiing but the weather hovered around 70 degrees so we ended up sunning and swimming instead," Renne disclosed. "We're hoping to try again this year. We may go to Italy and Switzerland this coming March," said Jack. "It's tentative because Renne just came back from California where she filmed a pilot for a new nighttime TV series. If it sells, there goes our vacation." If it sells, does that mean another long separation like the one that almost split up the couple permanently two years ago? "Definitely not," said Jack. "We'll work something out." "The most important thing is for us to stay together," said Renne. "I'm still interested in my career but the stardust is out of my eyes. My marriage will always come first." How did the happy Stauffers originally find one another? "Well, we were both born in New York City and we both went to the same college in Illinois," said Renne. "But we didn't meet in either place." "I was ahead of her in school," explained Jack, who is one month his wife's senior (they are both in their mid twenties). "My family had moved to Stamford, Connecticut, when I was 8. I first saw Renne when she came up there with a group of my ex-schoolmates to spend the weekend with us. That was the summer of 1968, after we'd both graduated from Northwestern. At that time, I was just about starting my acting career." Wasn't Renne already an established actress by then? "She's been in show business all her life," said Jack. "I did my first photo modeling job when I was three months old," Renne elaborated, "and my first TV commercial soon after that. At 6, I did my first TV show. And a year later I landed a running part on my first soap, Portia Faces Life. That lasted until I broke my arm off-camera. You see, I had a very normal childhood despite my early start in showbiz." Did Jack have a normal childhood? "I broke my arm too, if that's the qualification for normalcy," laughed Jack. "I fell in the ocean in December suitably dressed in 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of pants, overcoat and galoshes; I set the neighbor's house on fire and crammed in lots of other delightfully normal escapades that make growing up so much fun." "Don't believe everything Jack tells you," cautioned Renne. "He's a terrible kidder and something of a tease." "Look who's talking," said Jack. "About those three years we were dating..." "I didn't mean that," said Renne blushing most becomingly. Meanwhile back at Portia Faces Life...What happened after Renne's broken arm mended? "I resumed my career," said Renne. "But working was always just something extra that I did. It didn't interfere with my membership in the Girl Scouts (I was a Scout for 10 years) or with my schooling. Of course, I had to be out of class now and then but I didn't go to a professional school. I tried one for a day - but I hated it!" Has she appeared on many daytime serials? "At 12, I was a regular on The Edge of Night for eight months. Then I came back to the show when I was 21 and stayed another year. Shortly after Jack and I started dating, I got a part on Love Of Life. But when my story line was dropped six months later, I decided to try my luck in California." "She neglected to mention that she also did a couple of Broadway shows in the interim," said Jack who acts as his wife's unofficial press agent. "At 10, she was in 'The Loud Red Patrick,' and at 17, in a play called 'Giant Son Of Giants.'" "That one was a flop!" announced Renne grimacing at the recollection. How did she feel when her nighttime TV series, met such an untimely end? "People often ask how you can survive the ups and downs of show business," said Renne thoughtfully. "All I can say is disappointment I felt when Nancy was cancelled cannot compare to the excitement I felt when it was first sold...The ups are so good, they make up for the downs." Is Jack equally philosophical about the ups and downs of showbiz? "I've been very lucky," he said. "I've only been in it a short time and I haven't hit the 'downs' yet. I first got interested in acting in high school - but just for fun. I was in those school plays that are so abominable to watch but such fun to do." "Would you believe he originally set out to be a doctor?" interjected Renne. "That's true," nodded Jack. "My first summer job was in a hospital. I said to myself 'Look out Christian Bernard - here I come!' But I took one look at what I would have to go through in college and decided to switch careers before I was in midstream. I did spend five summers working at the hospital as an inhalation therapist treating respiratory diseases. But during the winter, I studied Soviet politics and modern history at Northwestern." "Northerwestern's particularly noted for its theater arts course," said Renne of their mutual alma mater. "And it was while I was there that the acting bug bit me," Jack confessed. "I appeared in a few local musical productions. And in my senior year I directed two shows. When I graduated, I decided I'd better give show business a try or I'd never forgive myself. I came to New York and rented a closet on 84th St. - cause that's how starving actors are supposed to love. But it turned out that I wasn't to be a starving actor." "He signed with Jarrett Management," said Renne, her family pride showing, "and has never been out of work." "I did TV commercials and a season at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Florida before I signed for All My Children." Children...there's that subject again. What about those children the Stauffers are looking forward to producing one day soon? "I hope the first one's a boy," said Jack. "I was raised in a house with three sisters, so naturally I'm partial to boys." "I'd like a boy and a girl," said Renne. "One of each would be just fine." "But we should have the boy first," Jack insisted. Doesn't the fact that Renne and Jack adjusted so easily to marriage and never experienced the usual newlywed syndrome of fighting and making-up, deprive the union of some of the elements of romance? "Not at all," balked Renne. "You don't have to fight to keep romance alive. Fights aren't an asset to a marriage - they are a liability." "When the romance has gone out of a marriage it's time for a divorce," Jack stated unequivocally. "My parents have been married for over 30 years, and the romance is still alive...I think Renne and I will fare as well. Why don't you stick around and find out?" Since I don't have 30 years to spare, I'll take Jack's word for the durability of their marriage. "He wouldn't kid you about something as serious as that," Renne assured me. "Neither would I. We have a good - and permanent - marriage!" - MARILYN T. ROSS

April's trial is very melodramatic and TV court, and the woman playing the prosecutor gets on my last nerve, but I'm reminded of why I was so fascinated by April when the story first aired. She's not the greatest actress but she has such a husky voice and she does well with the strong-yet-weak character here. It's too bad they recast April and then totally forgot her existence. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rACB-a1Go_k&feature=autoplay&list=UL7JHh6D2vdsY&playnext=5

Thanks for reading. I know a lot of these articles blur together.

The newer shows on the air have had less of a problem picking up large audiences quickly, not only because people really like to know everything about everybody right off the bat, but because the improvement and growth that these shows have demonstrated over past years is incredible, and audiences have responded appreciatively. One show that is really enjoying a great deal of success is ABC's All My Children. This show has blessed its network since the day it first aired on January 4, 1970. It had a good deal of very stiff competition from those ever-popular "oldies," but because of its quality and the ability to deal strongly and openly with subjects that had previously been only hinted at on other shows, All My Children became not only a solid hit but a bit of a trendsetter. Now it is fairly commonplace for soaps to deal much more squarely with current topics of interest and importance, such as drugs, politics, ecology, abortion, etc. And this trend seems to please audiences very much. As a rule, most audiences don't appreciate being treated like shallow individuals with doses of a false world of "coffee-klatches" and 'back-fence gossip." There's a real world out there, and daytime TV has really begun to reflect it! All My Children is written by the renowned Agnes Nixon. The show has a wonderful production crew and an able and handsome cast. Let me introduce you, or perhaps reintroduce you, to some of the people who make this show an obvious winner! The day I came to the ABC studio on Manhattan's West Side was not really typical of most. The cast and crew had been working on a much heavier schedule for the past number of weeks due to the upcoming presidential election. (The networks assign most of their studio space to such coverage.) Each day the cast and crew had to tape extra shows in advance, which more than doubled their work. I couldn't have wanted to start the day with two more delightful people than Eileen Letchworth (Margo Flax) and John Devlin (Jason Maxwell). Eileen is a very striking woman with an absolutely delicious sense of humor. When she reminded me that she is the mother of a 23-year-old son, I let out an audible gasp because she really doesn't look much older than that herself! Eileen, who has been on the show since June of this year, is extremely popular around the set, as most people with a good off-camera sense of humor are. She is an avid needlepoint artist and has recently completed some needlepoint chairs which her husband, Paul Larson, helped her put together. Eileen was thrilled with the fact that her husband (who is an actor) is going to be doing two shows at Chicago's prestigious Goodman Theater but a little sad at the thought of them being separated. John Devlin, a very handsome and amiable bachelor, is a relative newcomer to All My Children, having joined the cast in August. John has an impressive list of acting credits to his name. Recently on Broadway, he was seen in "Vivat, Vivat Regina!" with Claire Bloom and Eileen Atkins, "Billy," the musical version of "Billy Budd" and "The Unknown Soldier and His Wife." Not so long ago, John had the good fortune to be sent to Europe for a cosmetics commercial. It was his first trip abroad, and he was able to travel through the south of France, Amsterdam and England. Nice work, if you can get it! He has been a resident of New York City for ten years and at the moment, is into guitar playing and gymnastics. I stepped aside while the show's director was cueing the actors and giving them a few notes. But as soon as I got the chance, I went over to chat with Mary Fickett. Mary, who plays Ruth Brent, is one of the most charming women you could want to meet. Theatre buffs will remember that it was Mary Fickett who did the nothing-less-than-brilliant job of creating the role of Eleanor Roosevelt on Broadway in "Sunrise at Campobello." It must have been a very able make-up man to change Mary's appearance so greatly because face-to-face, she is absolutely lovely. Mary, who has just recently separated from her husband, James Congden, is the mother of two lovely children. Bronwyn, 7, and Kenyon, 3. Over the summer she spent a wonderful vacation with the children on Cape Cod, in a house which she described as "a doll's house." Another woman of great charm, with such a warm and quiet manner is Fran Heflin (Mona Kane). Fran, a charter member of the cast, is an actress of fine ability. We spoke for a while about her trip to Barbados last March and a trip she took to London a year ago. Fran has three children whom she loves very deeply, Jonathan, Nora and Mady. Jonathan is directing his second film in Hollywood and Nora was in the revival of "The Crucible" at Lincoln Center. Fran, as you may know, is the sister of actor Van Heflin who died so tragically last year. Van Heflin certainly gave us some of our finest moments in films, and now we are lucky enough to have Fran give us some wonderful moments on television. Quite some family! One of the handsomest men I have ever met in my travels around the sets of daytime television shows is Ray MacDonnell, who plays Dr. Joe Martin. Ray has a terrific air of virility and gentility, which just happens to be a terrific combination (not to forget great looks!) The popular actor mentioned that he travels in each day from upstate New York. It's amazing how the actors on the soaps can even breathe let alone act during an 8:00 AM rehearsal - and put a two hour commute on top of that! A great surprise for me on this day was meeting, or rather re-meeting, Susan Blanchard (Mary Kennicott). It seems that the very lovely Susan Blanchard and I were school mates some blankety-blank years ago. Don't get the impression that either of us is old, but I hate to give away secrets! One secret that I will give away is that I did do some acting years ago, and Susan and I met when we were with the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut. I certainly remember Susan as being one of the prettiest girls in the class. Over that summer we both received a really good education in classical acting which prepared us to do most everything in the theater. One slightly depressing part of the day was when I went up to talk to little Matthew Anton, the precious little boy who plays Ted. Matthew, who is 8 years old but told me he thinks he looks five, is playing a little guy who fell out of a tree and sustained heavy injuries on the show. He is in a hospital bed, with a genuine cast and gory-looking injuries supplied by the make-up department. I think that their medical consultant must be a genius, because his injuries looked more real than some injuries I've seen! I asked Matthew whether his mother or father were actors, and he let me know that he "was the only actors in the family." During his off-camera hours, Matthew Anton attends P.S. 166 on Manattan's Upper West Side. I got a chance to speak to Matthew's dad who feels that if his son is missing a few days of school work, he surely is getting a pretty full education learning things around the set of All My Children. Without a doubt, one of the nicest guys I've met in a long time is Charles Frank (Jeff Martin). Charles and his wife, Alma, had a terrific vacation in France last summer. Alma lived there at one time but it was all very new to Charles - Paris won his over! They visited with Alma's father in Paris, and then they went on to the south of France. Although it hasn't been a part of our lives as long as many other soaps, All My Children is gaining stature very quickly. Some shows of late haven't made it, but this show seems to be holding on strong. - RONNI WARREN ASHCROFT

March 1973 TV Star Parade

March 1973 TV Star Parade

March 1973 TV Star Parade

Hadn't seen this before. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVvZkIjI67E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZmoxjWq1Dk

A Martinez and Marcy Walker had crazy crazy chemistry early on. I can see why so much of the show ended up revolving around them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cYD03aEkk8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rdSrg-dMxY

Romney will not go for $1 tax increase even if there are $10 in spending cuts. This is what the media does cartwheels over, our supposed corporate mastermind - cut cut cut cut cut, screw everyone. http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entries/romney-wont-accept-1-in-new-taxes-for

I don't believe it's down to voting to someone similar to you. Many "bubbas" hated and feared Bill Clinton. Many Wall Street types adored Bill Clinton. They still do. Clinton did as much to undo financial regulations - if not more - than any Republican President. I don't believe that all black people automatically see themselves in Obama. I do think that the racial attacks played a part, but I think many just saw him as the better candidate.

http://boards.soapoperanetwork.com/topic/27777-valley-of-the-dolls-94-primetime-soap-version/

The stimulus wasn't big enough. If cutting and cutting and cutting was enough to get the economy going, Europe would be a paradise, instead of on fire. And now thanks to the endless frenzy for austerity, defense contractors are going to be laying off a million people

That photo shoot was so early 80's. All I ever take out of it is that Nick Walker is the only man I know of who can make white socks look hot. Whenever I see that shot of Clarissa and Tyler gazing at each other, I think it was a cougar story. That photo of her in the copper top is so odd.

Oh the hilarity. These are the people Romney spends all his time catering to. http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com/2012/06/conservative-leader-jokes-president-obama-steals-silverware.php?ref=fpnewsfeed

I was surprised to read in a late 2002 Digest interview that Janice Lynde was in talks to resume the role of Leslie, and Leslie would be different now, etc. I'd never heard about this (or forgotten it). Does anyone know how close it was to happening? I wonder if it would have worked, since Leslie had no ties to the canvas. I've seen this before but it's been a while. It's a great scene, especially Jill's last line. I was surprised at how aggressive Mamie was in this, more than I remember her being later on (aside from a few fights with Jill after she cheated on John with Jed). Was Margeurite Ray's Mamie written more aggressively or was it just an acting choice here? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty16bMoDT6I&feature=channel&list=UL

Thanks. I only remember the blonde who lived through her daughter and the blonde who had a son who kept getting locked up. The rest I've sort of forgotten entirely. I guess I'll remember then again when I watch it.

In that remix video, who is the heavier woman in the blue dress they say has a gruff voice? That cracks me up for some reason. Anyway, I guess it's kind of pointless since they're all gone, but I'm going to go back and watch some of the first OC season, through Netflix. I watched the first disc long ago and didn't care for it, but decided to try again.

I'd seen the catfight between Sheila and Lauren, but for some reason I had never seen the actual comment which led up to the fight. Here it is. Great scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1eg7GR0IaY&feature=relmfu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9j-ccUNCsIo&feature=channel&list=UL